Planning a fishing vacation, whether to one of your local lakes for a day or two or off to Brazil for a 15 day exotic excursion, can be a trying experience. How do you narrow down
choices to find
fishing destination that is right for you? After all, "fishing is not a matter of life and death, it is much more important than that."The easiest method of selecting a fishing destination is to begin by identifying your priorities. Do you want to fish Saltwater (surf, deep sea, reef) or Freshwater (lake, stream, river, etc.)? Are you going by yourself, or is this to be a group adventure?
If you are going as part of a group, it would be a good idea to sit down with everyone else who is going and discuss exactly what it is that each person wants out of
trip. It is not enough to simply decide you want great fishing, because that can mean very different things to different people.
Does great fishing mean catching a fish on nearly every cast, or catching only one fish all day--provided that one fish was trophy size? And what constitutes a "giant" fish to you? Would a 30-pound chinook salmon make you happy, or would it have to be a 50-pounder?
What fish species are you interested in trying to catch? Although this sounds like an overly simplistic question, it definitely needs to be discussed if this is to be a successful group outing. Do you want to catch lake trout, walleye, northern pike, bass, salmon? If members of
group have different ideas, you should pick a location that has multiple species available.
What is your preferred method of fishing? (trolling, spin/bait casting, light tackle, fly fishing, etc.) Do you want to fish from shore, from a drift boat, canoe or raft, or wear full length waders and wade
currents and riffles?